200 cops, 100 CCTVs: Delhi Police raid hotels through the night after Red Fort blast; four detained, question 13

Red Fort blast kills eight; Delhi Police trace suspect’s i20 car to Haryana, question 13 people under UAPA probe.

Hours after a powerful explosion killed eight people outside the Red Fort, Delhi Police launched a sweeping overnight crackdown across central Delhi, raiding hotels, scanning guest registers, and rounding up suspects in one of the most intense manhunts the city has seen in years.

Teams moved through the packed lanes of Paharganj, Daryaganj, and nearby areas, checking every hotel register and verifying identities of guests. By dawn, four people had been taken into custody for questioning, and over a dozen more were under the police lens.

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Hotels under the scanner, registers checked room by room

What began as a routine crime-scene investigation quickly turned into a full-scale security sweep. Dozens of police teams were deployed overnight to comb through small lodges and budget hotels across the old quarters of Delhi, where transitory populations and quick check-ins often provide cover for illegal activity.

Read | Red Fort blast: Timeline of previous blasts that shook Delhi

“Every hotel register in the Paharganj and Daryaganj areas was checked thoroughly,” said a senior police officer involved in the operation. “We are verifying if anyone checked in using false documents or stayed without ID proof.”

The raids began around midnight and continued till morning, with police cordoning off narrow lanes and conducting door-to-door verifications in some pockets.

Read | Delhi Red Fort blast: Punjab, Haryana, Himachal tighten security after deadly explosion

13 under scrutiny, Faridabad link surfaces

Investigators said the focus now is on tracking the i20 car that exploded outside the Red Fort, killing eight and injuring several others. CCTV footage reviewed by the police shows the vehicle entering Delhi from Haryana through the Badarpur border before reaching the Red Fort’s Sunheri Masjid parking area.

Based on multiple camera feeds and toll records, at least 13 individuals are under active scrutiny. Among them is Dr Umar, suspected to be linked to the Faridabad module. Police sources said his possible connection to the car is being verified, and DNA tests are underway to identify one of the deceased at the scene.

'We are examining everything,' says DCP Raja Banthia

North Delhi DCP Raja Banthia said the forensic teams have lifted samples from the site and sent them for analysis. “As of now, the investigation is ongoing. We cannot comment on anything conclusively. The FSL team is lifting traces of explosions, and we are examining the scene of the crime,” he told reporters.

Over 200 police personnel were deployed overnight to collect and review CCTV footage from routes leading to the Red Fort, including the Outer Ring Road, Badarpur border, and Kashmere Gate.

UAPA, Explosives Act invoked as probe widens

A case has been registered under sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with provisions of the Explosives Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The registration of the UAPA case underscores the seriousness of the blast probe and the possibility of organised involvement.

A sleepless night for Delhi’s investigators

For the police, the night was a blur of sirens, sealed roads, and endless footage. From the old city’s dimly lit hotels to toll plazas on Delhi’s borders, every possible lead was chased in real time.

“Nothing is being left to chance,” said another official. “This is too close to the Red Fort—symbolically and geographically—to treat as an isolated event.”

With the NIA expected to join the probe, investigators are now racing to stitch together the movements of the car and the people linked to it. More detentions are likely in the coming days as Delhi tries to make sense of what went wrong—and who was behind it.

What’s next:

Police teams will continue their ground checks through the week, focusing on Delhi’s border entries and inter-state links. Forensics and DNA results are expected soon, which may confirm whether the suspected Faridabad module was behind the Red Fort blast.